The remains of 1st Lt. Kendrick Lamont Key Jr., a 27-year-old U.S. Army officer who disappeared during military exercises in Morocco, were recovered from the Atlantic Ocean on May 9, the Army confirmed Sunday. A multinational search operation involving more than 600 personnel continues for a second missing service member.
“A Moroccan military search team found the Soldier in the water along the shoreline at approximately 8:55 a.m. local time May 9, within roughly one mile of where both Soldiers reportedly entered the ocean,” U.S. Army Europe and Africa said in a statement.
Key and the second soldier went missing around 9 p.m. on May 2 after they fell from a cliff during an off-duty recreational hike, according to the Moroccan military. The incident occurred near the Cap Draa Training Area outside Tan-Tan, a region characterized by mountains, desert, and semidesert plains.
The disappearance triggered a large-scale search effort involving U.S. and Moroccan forces alongside other military partners. The operation deployed frigates, vessels, helicopters, and drones across the coastal terrain.
Key was assigned to Charlie Battery, 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command. He entered military service in 2023 as an officer candidate and earned his commission through Officer Candidate School in 2024 as a 14A Air Defense Artillery officer. He later completed the Basic Officer Leader Course at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. The Army noted his decorations include the Army Achievement Medal and Army Service Ribbon.
A U.S. defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press that search efforts for the second missing soldier will continue. African Lion 26, the U.S.-led multinational war games, concluded on Friday, but a U.S. contingent remained in Morocco to provide command and control and continue the rescue operations.
African Lion 26 is the largest U.S. joint military exercise in Africa, involving more than 7,000 personnel from over 30 nations across Morocco, Tunisia, Ghana, and Senegal since its launch in April. The annual exercises have run since 2004.
The incident echoes a previous tragedy during the multinational drills. In 2012, two U.S. Marines were killed and two others injured when their helicopter crashed in the southern Moroccan city of Agadir during the exercises.